Participation in fitness activities continues to grow in ever increasing rates. Amongst the largest growth sectors in fitness are yoga, pilates, and barre. Participation in yoga alone has increased at a rate of about 20% per year since 2006 according to the National Sporting Goods Association, or an estimated 20 million Americans. Though some people practice these exercise routines in their own home, many individuals seek out a workout center or studio for instructional purposes.
As part of these exercise routines, participants use a thin, flexible mat to place between themselves and the floor. The mat is typically six (6) feet long by two (2) feet wide and is made from a special plastic-based foam or sometimes rubber. These materials create friction to facilitate the user in performing various moves and exercises. Often, these mats are provided to participants as a courtesy by a gym, workout center, or exercise studio. Many participants decide to purchase their own mat simply because they find another person's sweat unappealing.
These exercise routines are strenuous and cause the body to sweat. This sweat is transferred to the mat during the workout. Sweat contains germs, bacteria, and human bodily wastes. Sometimes, the sweat accumulates so greatly that the user must turn the mat over during the exercise routine because the mat becomes slippery. This exposes the sweaty side of the mat to the floor which causes the mat to pick up additional debris such as dirt, dust, hair, and other detritus not to mention germs and bacteria. As a result, patrons insist that the mats are cleaned and sanitized prior to their use, for fear of becoming ill.
Gyms, workout centers, or exercise studios have classes scheduled throughout the day with minimal intermission time in order to maximize revenue. In order to provide cleaned and sanitized mats to patrons, the need for a machine that performs this function quickly becomes very important.
Many of the disclosed apparatuses teach cleaning substantially flat articles that are non-flexible. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 1,183,672, granted to Ritchey et al., discloses a machine for cleaning substantially flat articles, which includes wire bristle rollers for cleaning baking pans transferred on a conveyor. Also, U.S. Pat. No 1,930,575, granted to Wynd et al., discloses a sheet drying apparatus, which includes infeed rollers, washer spray pipes, brush rollers, outfeed rollers, and a pressurized air nozzle assembly, which are all used in conjunction for drying sheets of material, such as the glass and celluloid used in the manufacture of laminated glass.
However, there are a few apparatuses that teach cleaning flexible mats, but the apparatus only cleans one side of the mat. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 3,396,422, granted to Haverberg, discloses a machine which washes and dries automobile floor mats. Infeed rollers are provided for feeding a floor mat to the rotary brushes. Outfeed rollers impart a squeezing action to the floor mat when fed therebetween, and a fan is provided for blowing air over the floor mat for the drying thereof. Further, U.S. Pat. No. 4,926,520, granted to Watson, describes a method and apparatus for cleaning carpet tiles. Infeed rollers are provided for continuously propelling a carpet tile over a nozzle bank that subjects the pile side of the carpet tile to a cleaning fluid spray. A scrubbing roller then scrubs the pile side of the carpet tile, and the carpet tile is next propelled over rinsing nozzles that rinse the cleaning fluid therefrom. After passing over the rinsing nozzles, the carpet tile is propelled from the cleaning compartment and to the unloading station by outfeed rollers that squeeze excess fluid from the carpet tile and also move the carpet tile over a vacuum slot, which vacuums residual fluid therefrom.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,072,478, granted to Wagner et al., teaches cleaning both sides of a semi-rigid item. Wagner describes a mobile vertical blinds cleaning machine for cleaning both surfaces of individual blinds panels of all types including plastic blinds, fabric covered blinds, and fabric blinds. It uses an elongated tank divided into separate liquid tight solution cleaning, rinse, and drying chambers, with a pair of feed rolls located at the entrance end of each of the chambers and the exit end of the drying chamber. Wagner, however, requires that the blinds be fed through a bath of solution, that the blinds be rinsed with water via nozzles, and that the blinds are blown-dry with forced air convection.
There is a machine available for sale called “The Big Squeeze Ultimate Model U-1 Floor Mat Cleaner” by J-Ko Company, which is advertised to “clean carpet and rubber floor mats” with the aid of water, chemical, and high speed nylon brushes. It is advertised for use on automobile floor mats. It uses extraction, vacuums, hot air, and rollers to dry the mats. It is very large, uses a lot of power, and requires a garden hose hook-up. The J-Ko machine would not be appropriate for use in an exercise studio or health club because of how large it is, how much power it uses, and how much water it uses.
There is another product available for sale called “Matsana”. It is advertised to “sanitize” yoga mats using ultraviolet light, only. No cleaning solution is used, however, so the machine does not clean debris from the mat.
Of the above prior art or products found for sale, none are particularly adapted for applying solution, cleaning, and removing said solution from both sides of thin, flexible mats used for yoga, pilates, barre, or other similar exercises, or for use in an gym, exercise studio, or health club. Accordingly, there is a long felt need in the art for an apparatus that cleans both sides of thin, flexible, and uncarpeted floor mats, such as those used for yoga, pilates, or barre, that does not use a lot of power, does not use a lot of water, or does not take up very much floor space.